Fraudulent Contact via WhatsApp by Alleged “Relatives”

Currently, we see an increasing number of fraud attempts where criminals get in touch with you via SMS and WhatsApp. The scammers pretend to be your "son" or "daughter" and claim to be in an emergency situation, e.g. because of a defective or lost cell phone and thus try to dispel concerns about the unknown phone number.

Under the pretext of not having a working cell phone for internet banking, the criminals ask you to transfer money or pay urgent bills for them.

How can I protect myself from this scam?

If you are contacted in a similar way by an unknown phone number, ignore the requests and try to reach your allegedly "distressed" relatives at their usual number before taking any further steps. Most often, it turns out that there simply is no emergency and it all goes back to an attempted scam.

How can you recognize this scam?

• Your supposed "child" contacts you from a new number and explains this with a defective cell phone
• The message is unusually worded and the scammers communicate with you only in writing
• The scammers ask you to transfer money or pay bills (often real-time transfers) and promise to pay you back in the next few days

You can find more information and some examples of this scam at www.watchlist-internet.at

We are there for you

Did you disclose confidential information? Or have you already made a bank transfer? Our 24h Service is available for you at any time under the number 05 0100 - 50200.